DefCon 99: Games hackers play

LAS VEGAS (IDG) -- Comdex it ain't. The convention of computer
geeks meeting here this weekend built a conference network for
attendees to hack, awards prizes for spotting federal agents in the
crowd, and heralds a hot hacker trivia contest.

It's DefCon,
the annual gathering of self-described hackers, security professional
and--yes--federal agents keeping an eye on the action. More than 2500
of them braved the recent desert floods to attend the show.

DefCon
organizers design the tracks and events to draw the young hacker elite
that make up the majority of people at the show, according to Jeff Moss
(also known as Dark Tangent), organizer of DefCon 7. The agenda
includes more serious sessions on security technology, as well as a
number of off-the-wall events. And DefCon's creative attractions rival
those of Las Vegas itself, no slouch when it comes to the unique and
usual.

Spot the Fed

As surely as hackers gather to
swap information, federal officials intermingle to try to glean
whatever they can from the rowdy discussion groups. If a
convention-goer suspects another attendee is a federal agent (of
whatever stripe), he or she announces a spontaneous Fed Spotting.

Then,
DefCon organizers haul the accusing hacker and the suspected fed before
an informal tribunal. Each must make a case: The hacker explains why
the suspect is likely a Fed, and the accused agent must defend the
charge.

The crowd of patrons makes the ruling--and sometimes
the accused obligingly or resignedly produces ID. T-shirts are awarded:
The accuser gets one that reads "I Spotted The Fed,"while the agent's
T-shirt reads, "I Am The Fed."

Testing skills

A hacker's convention couldn't
overlook a skills competition. The most overwhelmingly geeky event of
the convention is a digital version of Capture the Flag.

Attendees
connect their own computers to a special local area network, trying to
break into servers set up by the organizers. The playing field is rows
of tables covered with computers, where participants furiously type
command-line code trying to break into the contest systems. Once a
hacker compromises the house server, the next task is to secure it from
other hackers and keep his or her own system secure as well.

DefCon
attendees also plug in to play networked games every night (all night).
The LAN-gaming group IRQ hosts IRQ Conflict, a game room where
attendees can bring their own gaming systems and find online
competitors for Quake II and other networked games.

Another
late-night event is Hacker Jeopardy. The games begin at 11 p.m. every
night of the convention, hosted by computer security expert Winn
Schwartau in the style of the television game show. The audience acts
as arbiters of good taste or the quality of the questioning. The
penalty for missteps is a drink, which produces some intoxicated
contestants.

Hackers get physical

Sometimes the
hackers exercise more than working their fingers on the keyboards. A
new event at DefCon '99 is the Hacker Deathmatch.

Contestants
climb into a pair of inflatable sumo wrestling suits, under the eye of
a team of official-looking referees. All comers are welcome to stage a
grudge match against friends (or enemies) as a tension release.

Notable
wrestling competitors included encryption expert Bruce Schneier against
an unknown college student (Schneier lost handily) and a PC World
versus LinuxWorld match. PC World took an early lead, then lost quickly
to LinuxWorld's lithe contestant.

The formal event of DefCon is
the Black and White Ball. Half Halloween party and half rave, this
evening event invites hackers and their dates to dress in costumes or
formalwear and rock the night away.